Singer’s Son Is Held on Kidnapping Charge
The son of late folk and country singer Hoyt Axton was arrested on suspicion of trying to kidnap a 9-year-old girl at Lake Tahoe, authorities said.
Placer County sheriff’s deputies said Michael Axton, 39, of Tahoe City, had allegedly tried to abduct the girl during a July 29 outing with her family on the Truckee River.
He is accused of grabbing her after she floated on an inner tube 40 to 50 yards down the river. The girl screamed and ran back to her family, deputies said.
Hoyt Axton, who died in 1999, wrote the hit rock song “Joy to the World,” popularized by Three Dog Night.
Hoyt’s mother, Mae Axton, co-wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel,” popularized by Elvis Presley.
Michael Axton remained in the county jail in lieu of $200,000 bail, deputies said.
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